The Couple, sequel to The Apartment
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Repost - 2nd in 3-story series. Now dating, Annie and Auggie field a few roadblocks in their new relationship.


Part 2 of my Annie/Auggie series, which started with The Apartment. The Couple

Chapter One: First Date

Sliding her door closed, Annie leaned back against it. 24 hours ago, she'd never dreamed this could be happening. Auggie and her, going out together, something they'd done countless times before, but now they'd stepped over the abyss into a relationship. Some may say it was inevitable, and some perhaps thought they were together already, as tied to the hip as they were.

After she'd signed off from their text conversation last night, she'd spent another hour in the cooling water of her bath, mind reeling from his proposition. All the reasons why she should refuse and insist on staying friends were put forward and rejected. Her mind and heart were at war, one being overly practical, while the latter pounded helplessly at the notion.

A few what ifs were still giving her hell this morning, and she was thankful Auggie stuck to his promise to give her more time, but when his voice came over her earpiece with that one question, "What's holding you back?" she knew she had her answer.

She'd waited until they got back to their apartments before giving him the answer. And the answer was - nothing. Her rebellious mind admitted defeat. Nothing was holding her back. As that thought came back to her now, tears flicked behind her eyes. An unbidden sob shook her shoulders, and giving in to the emotion flooding her, Annie let the tears go. Whether they were sad tears, happy tears, or just a few years' worth of tears over her past love, she didn't know, but she let them come, all the same.

A few minutes later, after the deluge subsided, she wiped the tears off her cheek and walked into the bathroom. This wasn't going to be the date of the century, probably only dinner, but suddenly, she thought she wanted to look her best for him.

A soft knock sounded at her door 45 minutes later, and smiling at his impatience, Annie walked from her bedroom across the living room to it. Auggie had her key, and he could have easily just let himself in, but he's knocking. Clipping her watch around her wrist, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Auggie stood there, looking more than handsome in an open-necked grey button-down shirt and black slacks. His damp hair still glistened as it curled on his collar.

"You're early," she said. "And you look -"

"I didn't want to wait any longer," he said, his head ducking down sheepishly. "Do you need more time?"

"No, I don't. Have you thought about where you want to go?" Annie said. "It doesn't have to be anywhere special, how about just dinner?"

Hearing the hesitancy and nervousness in her voice, Auggie took a few steps inside, hand reaching out for her. As he felt her arm, he slid his hand down to her hers, and brought it to his lips. With a familiar brush against her knuckles, he said, "We're gonna take this slow, Annie. One step at a time, okay?"

With her other hand, Annie brought it up to Auggie face and stroked down his cheek. "Okay, Auggie. It's just - it's been a while since I've done this. I hadn't wanted to just date someone since -" Shaking her head, Annie shooed away the little part of her mind that kept bringing up Ben. "I have one request."

"And what's that?" Auggie said, stepping back.

"Could wherever we go have a menu? I'm starving."

Auggie laughed, and linking his arm with Annie's, he said, "Whatever you want, Annie."

Since Auggie left the choice of destinations up to her, Annie decided on their spot, the tavern where he'd taken her after her first hellish day on the job. They'd only had drinks that night, and any other time they'd gone out for drinks, it had been at other bars and restaurants around the city. They'd never come back here.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Auggie asked, sitting calmly in the passenger seat of her VW.

"If I tell you, it wouldn't be a surprise," Annie said coyly, stealing a glance over at him. As she slid the car to a stop at the red light, she looked over at him and for a moment, let herself stare at him. He was smiling, and the gesture lit up his face. She'd always thought he was cute, but now, in this instance, he looked truly beautiful to her. The realization caused her breath to hitch, and she exhaled with an audible sigh.

"Something wrong?" Auggie asked.

"No, nothing at all."

"Traffic's moving."

"Oh, okay," Annie said, tearing her eyes away from his profile and merging with traffic again.

Auggie chuckled lightly to himself. He felt her staring at him when the car had stopped - her gaze was intense, and he was about to say something when he heard her sigh. It sounded like a sigh of finality, and, he thought, one day, he'd ask her about it.

The car stopped again, and hearing Annie shift the car into park and apply the brake, he realized they'd arrived at their destination. "Going to tell me now, or do I have three guesses?"

"Remember, months ago, when we first met, and you took me out for drinks?"

"Yes, of course."

"I thought we'd start over again," Annie said, releasing her seatbelt and stepping out of the car. Auggie followed suit, and she walked around to his side, reaching up to grip his elbow to lead him. His other hand reached over to her clasp on his elbow and loosened her fingers. She was about to ask what he was doing, but as she watched, he pulled her hand down to his, twining her fingers with his.

"Might as well do this right," he whispered, squeezing her hand.

As they entered the building, Annie was glad of Auggie's hand clasped with hers, as she suddenly felt the gazes of a handful of women who, upon seeing him, looked as if they were about to call out. But given the fact that the side of his body was pressed up against hers, and they were holding hands, they quickly looked away.

They were seated at a booth and choosing from their menus when Annie let loose with a soft giggle. She'd tried to hide it, but the small sound caused Auggie's fingers to still on his menu. "What's so funny?"

"Your fan club seemed a bit put out when they saw us together," Annie said. "I think you've broken a few hearts in your time, August Anderson."

"Ahh, throwing my past up to me now, are we? And only a few hours into being a couple," he teased. "I haven't seen anyone in the past few weeks, Annie."

"Why not?" Annie asked.

"Do you really have to ask that?"

Annie opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again, as the remembrance of the a month ago came to her. She'd caught him in the hallway with the drunken coed, and he'd come over to apologize. She hadn't seen him with another woman since then, and he hadn't mentioned anyone else. Even that girl earlier today, Crystal, said they'd gone out a month ago.

"You - you were waiting for me, weren't you?" Annie asked softly. "Auggie, why didn't you say something earlier?"

Auggie folded his menu and was about to answer when their waitress came up to them. "Are you ready to order?" she asked.

They placed their orders, and the topic didn't come up again as the conversation eased towards safer topics. He'd asked her how her sister was enjoying Philadelphia, and Annie told him all about the e-mail she had received a few days ago. The kids missed their aunt, but were so busy with a new school and a new house that they didn't have much time to complain. She promised them she'd come visit as soon as she could, even though Annie knew it'd be a while before she could make the trip.

Auggie told her about growing up the youngest in a large family, and his athletic career in track and field all during high school and into college.

Their plates had been cleared away, and the ice melted in their glasses when Annie glanced at her watch. Noticing the hour, she looked around to see the place was emptying, and their waitress was staring hard in their direction.

"Auggie, the waitress is giving us a death look. Think we should leave?"

"Of course, I hadn't realized it was so late." Auggie stood, and reaching into his wallet, felt out a neatly folded bill and laid it on the table. "That should soothe her ruffled feathers," he said, reaching out for Annie's hand.

She took it, twining her fingers into his, and they walked out to her car. The drive to their apartment building was comfortably silent, and as they made it up to their hallway, they paused.

Auggie reached out for her hand, and as Annie twined her fingers into his, she leaned forward against him.

"If you kiss me on my cheek, I'm breaking up with you right now," Auggie said.

Annie's shoulders shook with laughter as she rested her forehead against his. "No, you won't," she whispered.

He felt her breath against his face, and tilting his head to the side and following that breath, brushed his lips against hers. The kiss she gave him hours ago was hesitant, but this one held emotion, and a sweetness that made him groan with its purity. Her mouth moved under his, and he brought his hands up to her face, feeling the smooth line of her jaw and the high cheekbones.

As the kiss broke, he let his hands remain on her face, unconsciously moving across her features - her eyes, her brow, down her nose and over her soft lips to her chin. "See you in the morning?" he whispered, letting his fingers drop from her face.

"Good night, Auggie," Annie said, stepping back from him and unlocking her apartment door.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

"We're here," Annie said to Auggie, pulling into her parking space in the CIA parking lot the next morning. She turned the car off and was reaching for her seatbelt when Auggie reached over to still her hand.

"Annie, wait," he said, fingers on her wrist stilling her action. "Before we go in, I want to talk to you."

"What is it?" Annie said, twisting her wrist around so his hand cupped her fingers.

"I think we should keep this," he said, holding their intertwined fingers up, "between the two of us for now."

Confusion etched Annie's features, "You don't want to tell anyone?"

"No," he said.

"But my first day here, you said the CIA 'highly encourages dating within the agency," Annie said, her tone full of disappointment.

"They do, but -"

"Then what?" Annie asked, growing slightly suspicious and more than a little bit hurt. "Are you ashamed of this? Auggie, half the people think we're dating already."

"No, of course not," Auggie said quickly, leaning towards her. "And the agency won't care, as long as it doesn't interfere with our work. However, Joan might see it as a liability."

"A liability for what?" Annie turned in her seat towards him and looked down at their clasped hands. She covered them with her other hand, and sighed when Auggie did the same, running his fingers along her wrist.

"Dating within the agency is one thing," Auggie said quietly, "but within teams, it's not really the best practice, especially when you're out in the field, and I'm stuck here, worrying about you."

"So we can't tell anyone?"

"Not now, no."

"I wish you had told me this morning before we left," Annie said, releasing her hands from his.

"Don't be mad, Annie, it's not for forever, just until we can figure out a way to work this out. I'm just afraid if Joan knew of our relationship, she might assign someone else as your ops handler, and I wouldn't trust your care to anyone else," Auggie said, a frantic tone in his voice.

"Shh," Annie said, placing a finger to his lips. "You didn't let me finish. I wish you had told me this morning before we left because I would have done this."

Leaning forward, and with no further warning save the removal of her finger, Annie touched her lips to his, and was greeted with a soft moan as Auggie tilted his head and returned her caress.

"God, you taste sweet," he whispered as they broke apart. "How is it that you taste better than you smell?"

"You're not so bad yourself, you know," Annie said, settling back and releasing her seatbelt. "I am sad that we can't do this inside, though."

"Why?" Auggie asked.

"Jai would have an apoplexy if he saw what we just did," Annie said, laughing as she opened her car door.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

"Think you can do this?" Auggie asked, as they took up their positions at the outside doorway to the building. Annie's hand had the normal loose grip on his upper arm, and he pulled his laser guide out of his pocket, clicking it on and feeling the hum through his fingertips.

"Piece of cake," Annie said, "If you read my file, you'll know I came top in my class at the Farm in Deception Training. Nobody will know that I'd rather be sitting on your couch with you, drinking wine and listening to music."

"Tonight," Auggie whispered, before straightening up and pushing open the door. As they took their normal walk past security and through the halls, he couldn't help but think this was one of the oddest undercover operations he'd ever been involved in, but also one of the most important. Taking the plunge with Annie had been to him a natural progression, with the final step over the edge predicated by that magical text conversation two days ago. For him, though, it had started about a month ago when Annie caught him with that drunk coed draped all over him at his door. She had pleaded only embarrassment, but he'd heard a tinge of jealousy in her words later. Ever since, all he could think of was her, and he found himself in the difficult position of gently letting down a few women, the last being Crystal yesterday.

The DPD entrance opened wide, and as they moved through, he heard Joan calling to Annie from across the room. "See you later," he said. Her grasp on his arm lessened, and he felt her move away. In a surreptitious, almost unnoticeable move, her fingers slid down his arm, and her hand caressed the back of his before she walked away.

"Think you can handle it?" Joan asked, passing a large bulky envelope to Annie.

"Yes, of course," Annie said, "Just strict translation, or should I specify dialects, as well?"

"Anything you can get off of the audio files. What they say is, of course, of the most importance, but dialects, tone, turns of phrase, anything that could pinpont who they are and where they were," Joan said. "I'm counting on you, Annie."

"I won't let you down," Annie said.

"You can do this at your desk, but it's highly classified. Go borrow a pair of Auggie's headphones. I'm sure he won't mind."

"Okay."

"By the way," Joan said, taking Annie by the elbow and lowering her voice. "How is the new apartment working out?"

"Perfect," Annie answered, keeping her countenance steady under the cool gaze of her boss.

"Good to hear," she said. "I must say, I do feel easier knowing Auggie is close by. Although the chatter has died down in the last several months since Sri Lanka, your tight connection with Mercer and your past history with him means that his enemies are your enemies. They know he's dead, but they may still be after you to finish the job."

"I - I hadn't realized nor thought of that," Annie said.

"I'm not saying it to scare you, Annie. I just want to remind you that it's easy to make enemies in this profession. And you should be aware at all times," Joan said. "Now, I trust Auggie completely, and I've seen how close the two of you have grown since you've arrived here. Don't be afraid to go to him for support if you need it."

"I won't," Annie said. "He's been a good friend, and a great help here."

"Glad to hear it," Joan replied, walking away.

Keeping her countenance cool, and assuming an air of slight indifference, Annie made her way to her desk. Now that she thought about it, keeping her and Auggie's budding relationship under wraps wasn't so much different than keeping her CIA affiliation away from her sister.

Stashing the envelope into a locked drawer in her desk, she headed to Auggie's office. Sliding the door open, she said, "Hey, Auggie, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, what do you need?" he said, rotating in his chair towards her.

"Joan gave me some translations to work on, and some of them are audio-only. You wouldn't be willing to let me borrow a pair of your headphones, would you?" she asked, leaning against his desk.

"That depends," he said, "do you promise to bring them back?"

"Of course. "

Reaching across to the table to his right, Auggie snagged the high-end device and held it out for her. As she took them, he said, "You talked to Joan, huh? She say anything about -"

Catching onto his tone, Annie replied, "No, nothing. In fact, she expressed gratitude and happiness that I'm living so near you."

Disbelief etched Auggie's features, "I'm sorry, but huh?"

"She believes the same men after Ben in Sri Lanka might still be after me, although I doubt it as there's been nothing in the form of chatter over the past several months since. I think that's why she's been so, shall we say, protective of me over the past few months. Maybe now that, well, we're neighbors, she'll ease off a bit."

"I'll always protect you, Annie," Auggie said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "And I'm flattered that Joan believes in me as much as you do."

"Always," Annie replied, as she stood. "See you later."

By end of day, Annie was exhausted and energized by the work she had accomplished. Languages were truly her element, and she reveled in the challenge Joan had given her. Now all that was required was compiling a final report, which she would accomplish tomorrow, she thought. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was about a half hour past her normal end of day.

Looking around, she saw that nearly everyone else had left, save Jai and one other agent. Auggie was still in his office, though, and she surmised that he was waiting for her. Feeling slightly guilty, she stowed her work in her desk, locking it, and rose with the borrowed headphones.

"Good night, Annie," she heard as she passed Jai's desk.

"Bye, Jai," she replied. Ever since she'd shot him down for drinks a month ago, he'd treated her with a almost too perfect professional courtesy. Even so, she knew if she tried to mend fences with him, it'd send the wrong signals, and she had no want to revisit that argument again.

Bent over an open file on his desk, Jai watched Annie out of the corner of his eye as she entered Auggie's office. Through the glass wall, he saw them laughing as she handed him back the headphones. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he was increasingly suspicious of their behavior over the past couple of weeks. He'd heard through the grapevine that, ever since Annie moved next door to him, Auggie's Romeo demeanor had changed, and he'd turned down invitations from several women. Now, as he surreptitiously watched them, he saw how she helped him on with his jacket and smoothed the collar, and the look on Auggie's face as her hand lingered on his chest.

Suspicion grew in him at the couple's seeming friendship, and it quickly turned to an absolute as he saw Auggie grasp her fingers and bring them to his lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. They then broke apart, and as they left the office, Annie's hand clasped his upper arm, and they walked out.

Standing, he made his way to Joan's office. She was still there, typing on her computer, as he entered. "Joan, there's something I think you should know."

"And what would that be, Jai?" Joan asked.

"I have reason to believe that two of your team members, Annie and Auggie, in fact, are involved."

"And this is your business because?" Joan asked, looking up at him.

"Well, they're hiding it, obviously, because they think you'd disapprove, and as far as I can remember, you do frown on immediate team members hooking up."

"What I do and don't do about my team members is my business, Mr. Wilcox. You are a mere liaison to this department, and have absolutely no input on my decisions," Joan said, standing.

"But what about -" Jai sputtered.

"For your information, I happen to know about Annie and Auggie's situation. I may be a department head now, but I was a damn good agent, and I could see from the beginning what was happening," Joan said. "In general, yes, I would prefer it if my team members kept their lives professional, but in their case, I'm allowing an exception."

"But -" Jai said.

"And since they are trying hard to keep it quiet," Joan interrupted, "I am going to let them, and so are you. Annie may be a talented and valuable agent, but she's still new and learning the ropes. She needs him, both personally and professionally, and whether he wants to admit it or not, he needs her just as much."

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

"Alarm clock?" Auggie asked.

"Yes, could you get it for me, please? It's just a little travel-size one on my nightstand," Annie said, setting her travel bag on the couch and doing a quick inventory of its contents.

Auggie walked through the living room into her bedroom, stepping carefully so as not to trip on her Louboutins she had a habit of kicking off. As he came alongside her dresser, he stepped to the side and sat on her bed, sliding down to the headboard and reaching out to her nightstand.

The edges of a book met his sensitive fingers, and he gently moved his hand around until he came across a hard plastic square box with a smooth front and two buttons. Picking the alarm clock up, he heard a clatter and realized he must have knocked something over. Feeling for it, he surmised it was a picture frame. As he sat it back upright, a clink of something hard on glass resounded. Touching the frame's glass front, that something swung against his fingers. He grabbed it, and unhooked it from the corner of the frame. Feeling around it, he realized it was a bracelet, shells wrapped together with a heavy string.

As he realized what it was, a cold feeling traveled through him and settled in the pit of his stomach. His fingers clenched around it.

"Auggie? Did you find it? Didn't I leave it on the -" Annie strode into the bedroom and stopped suddenly at seeing him. He sat on the bed, and his jaw and left fist were clenched. "Are you okay?"

When he didn't respond, she sat beside him and placed her hand on his arm, only to have him flinch away from her touch. "Auggie, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"You said you were over him, Annie. You promised me," he spat out.

"Ben? Of course, I am. Why are you thinking about him all of a sudden?" Annie asked.

Holding his fist out, Auggie opened it slowly. "I found your bracelet. Or is it his? You had matching ones, right?" Auggie asked sarcastically. "It was hanging on a picture frame. By your bed. Is the picture of you and him? Didn't think you had to put it away since I couldn't see it, huh?"

Annie flinched at anger emanating off of him. "Auggie, no, you don't understand. Please, let me explain," she said, grabbing his arm, only to have him throw her off.

Standing suddenly, Auggie dropped the bracelet on the bed beside her. "I can't believe you'd lie to me, Annie," he said, walking past her. He didn't get far, only a few steps before he felt her rushing around him and standing directly in front of him. "Get out of my way."

Instead of answering, Annie placed both of her hands on his shoulders and pushed suddenly, throwing him off balance and making him sit hard onto her bed. "No, you're going to listen to me."

"There's not much you could say to me right now that I want to hear," Auggie said, voice full of hurt and anger.

Keeping one hand on his shoulder to stay him, Annie picked up the bracelet where he dropped it. Kneeling in front of him, she grabbed his fingers. "Feel, here," she said, pressing his index finger against one shell in particular.

"Annie, please," Auggie said.

"Remember when Ben, Jai and I were leaving for Sri Lanka, and you gave me that GPS tracker?"

"Yes, but what -"

Running his finger over the green plastic dot attached to the shell, Annie said, "You gave it to me to keep me safe, keep me protected. And you did. You brought me home. It may have once been a reminder of Ben, and I'd started to get rid of it, but that tracker dot, that little green piece of plastic reminded me of you, and I didn't want to lose that feeling of always having you by me."

The white hot anger behind Auggie's eyes began to dissipate as Annie ran his finger over the plastic-covered shell. "You'd kept it for years after he - I assumed -" his voice trailed off.

Releasing his hand, Annie stood and walked back over to the nightstand, dropping the bracelet on it and picking up the picture frame. "Remember my second day at the agency, when we broke into the morgue?"

Sitting on the bed beside him, Annie ran her fingers over the picture. "We had sweet-talked that nurse into taking a picture of us with my cellphone in order to get his print?"

"Yes, of course I remember. It's not every day I get interrogated by the FBI," Auggie said.

Annie handed the picture frame to Auggie. "I kept the picture of us. It's what the bracelet was hanging on when you knocked it over."

Taking the picture frame, Auggie ran his hand over the smooth glass. His hasty words came back to him as his racing heartbeat slowed.

"Annie, I'm sorry," Auggie said, feeling for her shoulder and pulling her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled, shivering at the intoxicating blend of her signature perfume as it blended with the light floral fragrance of her shampoo. He held her for a long time as the icy fingers of jealousy and anger slid away.

"Forgive me?" he asked, releasing her and placing his hands along her jaw.

"Nothing to forgive. I should have told you about it long ago, when we first -"

Annie was silenced as he leaned towards her, angling his head and pressing his lips against hers. She sighed softly at the caress, and returned it, tasting him. His lips parted, and she felt the soft brush of his tongue against her bottom lip. Grasping his forearm, she dug her nails into his skin as she let him in, and their tongues glided against each other. As the kiss deepened and grew more insistent, Annie felt herself falling back onto the bed as Auggie lay her down, never removing his mouth from hers.

The length of his body pressed up against hers, and she ran her hand over his shoulder and down his muscular back, down to his waist. His lips left hers, and he buried his face in her neck, placing kiss after kiss behind her ear and down her skin.

"Auggie," she whispered unsteadily in his ear. "We can't, not now."

"I know," Auggie groaned, placing a final kiss on her jaw before sitting up. "Off to visit exciting ports of call and save the world while I sit at home and wait for you to return."

"Sit at home, my butt. You're my handler on this one, buddy," Annie said, accepting his proffered hand and standing. "I'll be back in two days, and I expect to be wined and dined when I return."

Laughing, Auggie brought their clasped fingers up to his lips. "Whatever you want," he whispered against her knuckles.

Auggie heard his office door slide open, and judging by the steady clip of the heels, Joan had walked in.

"So, how's our girl? Mission accomplished?" she asked, standing beside him and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Without a hitch," Auggie replied, "for once. She's on her way back. Should be here in a couple of hours."

"Good work, the both of you," she said, squeezing his shoulder. "You make a good team."

Auggie shrugged, "We do all right."

"You're too modest, about your skills and hers. She moved into your building, what, about two months ago?" Joan asked, settling into a chair beside him.

"About that," Auggie asked, turning in his chair towards her.

"You're a good friend to have pulled the strings to get her that apartment, you know," Joan said.

"She threatened to live out of her car in the parking lot," Auggie laughed. "We couldn't just leave her homeless, you know."

"And you've been dating for about a month now, right?" Joan asked coolly, watching his face to gauge his reaction.

"Formally, yes, but we'd been hanging out for a while before that," Auggie answered before he stopped himself, realizing he'd been set up. "Joan, how -"

"Do you really have to ask, Auggie? You and Annie may be skilled at deception, but I've been in this game longer than the both of you put together," Joan said, smiling at him. "And before you ask, no, I don't mind. I trust the both of you to act professionally while you're here."

Auggie shook his head in amazement. "And we thought we'd been pulling our little ruse off," he said. Trust Joan to know more than she let on, he thought. He should have known he couldn't put anything past her.

Standing, Joan said, "Take care of her, Auggie. She may put up a brave front, but she went through Hell when Ben returned. She needs someone to lean on."

"I'll never let anything happen to her, Joan," Auggie said quietly.

"I know you won't," she said, patting his shoulder before leaving.

As he heard the door slide shut again, his connection to Annie buzzed again in his earpiece. He pressed a button and said, "Hey, Annie, I thought you were on your way home. Anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he heard her say. "Just wanted to hear your voice again before I boarded the plane."

"It's good to hear yours, as well. Listen, come by my apartment when you get here, okay?"

"Be there in a few hours. Bye, Auggie."

Annie walked up the short flight of stairs to Auggie's apartment, a mixture of exhaustion and anticipation running through her. It was getting harder and harder going off on long ops, as it meant she couldn't see him, but at least they were able to communicate. And, she thought, it meant coming home to him when it was all done.

Reaching into her pocket for the key to his door, she thought twice and knocked. After a few seconds, the door slid open, and her mouth dropped open. Auggie stood before her, dressed in the same slate gray button down shirt and black slacks he wore for their first date - a combination that made him so deliciously handsome it took her breath away. But it was what was behind him that truly struck her dumb.

A table covered in a linen tablecloth was adorned with two plates, a lit candle, a wine bottle, two glasses, and a pizza box.

"Welcome home, Annie," Auggie said, feeling out for her hand and leading her into the room. Pulling her towards him, he reached out to caress her cheek and placed a soft kiss against her lips.

"Auggie, when I said wining and dining, I was thinking maybe a restaurant," Annie said. "You know, with waiters and real food."

"Pizza is real food," Auggie laughed, leading her to the table and pulling the chair out for her. As she sat down, he pulled a long, slim box out of his pocket. Pulling up his chair beside her, he placed it on the table. "And I didn't want an audience when I gave you this."

"What is it?" Annie said.

"Open it, and you'll see."

Turning it over in her hands, Annie flipped open the lid to find a shining tennis bracelet. Clear, brilliant stones covered it, and in the center was a beautiful circle of green emerald. "Oh, my God," she whispered, as she removed it from the folds of velvet. "Auggie, it's beautiful. But why?"

Reaching out to her hands, Auggie took the bracelet from her fingers. "I thought you should have a more permanent reminder of us," he said, clasping the bracelet around her wrist. Sliding his fingers around the stones, he stopped when he reached the emerald. Rubbing his finger across it, he said, "Your memory of me when I'm not there shouldn't be tied to a tragedy. You deserve to be able to move on."

Tears flooded Annie's eyes at Auggie's beautiful words. She tried to speak, but found her throat constricted with emotion. Instead, she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. "Thank you, Auggie. How did I ever deserve you?"

"Because you deserve the best," he said, a wide smile lighting up his face. "And after my outburst the other morning, I thought I'd make it up ot you."

"With a $20 pizza and a $500 bracelet?" she asked, laughing.

"I'm nothing if not frugal," he said, laughing along with her as he poured the wine.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Annie spread her yoga mat out on the hardwood floor. She stood on it and reached her hands high above her head, palms facing inwards. As every muscle stretched, she regulated her breathing. The early morning sun filtered through the window, and she basked in its faint warmth.

A soft knock sounded at her door. and Annie smiled. Although Auggie'd had her key for three months now, two of which they'd been dating, he still knocked. "It's open, Auggie," she called out, bending over at the waist and clasping her ankles.

From her position, she saw the door slide open and his bare feet walk in. "You've got cute toes, have I ever told you that?"

Auggie stilled, wondering at the origin of her voice, which came from his right and towards the floor. "What are you doing, Annie?" he asked.

"At the moment, staring at your well-shaped calves."

"And why are you admiring my calves and feet?"

"Because, right now, they're all I can see of you," Annie said with a laugh. Taking a deep breath, she straightened. "Ahh, that's better."

"Okay, now I'm thoroughly confused," Auggie said, walking to the kitchen counter and setting the juice container on it. "You said yesterday you were out of juice. I thought I'd share."

"Thanks, I'm going to need some after I'm done here," Annie said, settling into her routine.

Auggie turned and leaned against the counter, hearing her deep breathing and occasional sighs. He wasn't sure what she was up to, and wasn't sure he should interrupt, but curiosity soon got the better of him. "What are you doing?"

"At the moment, the Hunter's Pose," Annie said, striving to maintain her balance.

"That doesn't help."

Annie laughed, dropping her arms to her side. "You've never heard of yoga, Auggie?"

"Oh, of course, I have. I just didn't realize it involved heavy breathing, grunting and sighing. You sound like you're in pain. Isn't it supposed to be relaxing?"

"If you do it right. I'm not very good at it. But it relieves the stress," Annie said, walking over to him. "And it requires concentration, which I have a hard time doing when you're in the room."

Walking up to him, she brushed a kiss against his cheek as she reached around him for the orange juice. "Unless, of course, you'd like to join me," she whispered in his ear. "Surely, you've got a few kinks that could use some stretching out."

"The kind of kinks I have, Miss Walker, require more than stretching to work out," he whispered back, hooking his arm around her waist and burying his face in her hair. Deliberately inhaling, he caught notes of her signature citrus scent, mixed with a hint of floral that he'd recently found out was her shampoo. The heady mixture sent his mind in a tailspin, and his arm tightened around her, pulling her body to him.

Annie took a quick swig of the orange juice before setting it back down onto the counter and wrapped her arms around him, returning his embrace. Being in Auggie's arms had recently become her favorite place in the world, and she relished the time she was able to spend in them. Although Joan had given them her blessing, they still kept their distance in the office, if anything to keep the gossip down to a minimum. That plus the long hours and occasional trips out of country meant the time they truly had to themselves was much less than she wanted it to be.

And now, as she felt his breath on her neck, just below her ear, a tingle spread through her limbs, and she sighed. "Auggie," she whispered.

"Mm?" he asked, shifting his hands until they reached the bottom of the cotton t-shirt she was wearing. Slipping his fingers beneath the fabric, he ran his hands along her warm skin. "Your skin is so soft."

Moving his hands around to her waist, he felt her move back from him, and her hands stayed his movements. He moaned at the sudden loss of warmth. She took a step back, pulling his hands off her waist and tugging him along. He stepped forward, following her across the floor.

When they stopped, Auggie realized he was standing on something soft and slightly squishy. "Annie, what -"

"You're going to learn yoga," Annie said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Auggie replied, "My type of exercise requires running shoes and free weights, not a thin mat and incense." He tried pulling his hands away from hers, but her grip was tight.

"Now, place your hands together like this, it's called prayer pose."

"Ow! A little more gently, please," Auggie said through gritted teeth.

"Don't be such a baby," Annie replied. "Seriously, Auggie, this was supposed to relax you. How could you possibly pull a muscle?"

Auggie lay on his back on her couch, his legs hooked over her lap as she massaged his calf. "I told you I didn't do yoga. I run on a treadmill, and I lift weights."

"You still need to stretch your muscles more," Annie said, running her fingers down the length of his calf muscles.

"Yeah, well, I've always found relaxation through other, more base methods," he said, sighing as the muscle stopped spasming. He stretched his leg out fully, feeling Annie's hands as they continued to press and knead.

"Other methods, huh?" Annie asked. "And I guess these more base methods of relaxation involved another person, as well?"

"Of course."

"Well, I guess drunken coeds and treasonous reporters are good for some things, huh?" Annie asked, pushing Auggie's legs off her lap and standing. Grabbing the orange juice off the counter where she left it, she stowed it in the refrigerator. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Yeah, sure. Annie, what's wrong?"

Pulling the coffee container off the shelf with slightly shaking hands, Annie tried to steady her voice as she answered, "Nothing is wrong, Auggie."

"Yes, there is. Now, tell me," Auggie said, standing and walking over to the counter.

"I can't compete with your past, Auggie. I'm not like those other women, and your bringing them up makes me realize that." Wringing her hands in front of her, Annie fought back the emotion rising in her, a mix of sadness and jealousy. "You've probably been wondering why, after being together for two months now, I haven't offered to let you stay the night, but it's just -"

"But what?"

"I don't want - THIS to just disappear in the morning, or to find once we've slept together, you're going to move on to the next -"

Moving quickly around the counter, Auggie grabbed Annie's shoulder and pulled her towards him. She fought at first to push him away, but he held tight, and soon she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his chest. "I'm never going to leave you, Annie," he whispered into her hair. "And the last woman I slept with was Liza."

"But what about Crystal? And that girl I caught you with in the hallway?"

"How do you know about Crystal? Don't, don't bother answering. It was one date, and months ago. Ever since you've moved in across the hall, I haven't thought about anyone else."

Leaning back from her, he framed her face with his hands. "Listen to me, I've wanted you ever since I met you, but I knew you were still hung up on Ben, even though you said you'd never get burned like that again. And then he came back, and you flew off with him, again, to Sri Lanka. I was so afraid you wouldn't come back to us, to me. But you did, and he didn't. I held your hand, and I let you grieve, but I don't want to wait much longer, Annie. You have to trust me, you have to trust in this."

Looking up at his face, Annie took a deep breath. "I do trust you, Auggie." Reaching up, she pressed a soft kiss against his cheek. Extricating herself from his embrace, she took his hand and began to walk backward. "Come on."

Auggie stumbled a bit as she pulled his arm. After a few steps, he realized where she was leading him. "Annie, you don't have to -"

"I want to, Auggie," she said, backing up until the backs of her knees hit the bed. She sat on the mattress and pulled him down next to her. Running her fingers through his hair, she kissed him softly. "And I think we both need this. It's time."

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Laying completely at ease on his stomach beside her, Auggie listened to Annie's breathing. He'd once thought that her laugh was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard, but he's let it slip to a close second as compared to the peaceful bliss emanating from her now.

He'd gotten to know her body intimately in the preceding hour, but as she lay next to him now, he ghosted his hand over her once again, never touching as to arouse her from her sleep. He committed every curve, angle and plane to memory, building in his mind the image of her.

Of the few women in his life he'd truly cared for, Natasha being the last one, he'd always seen them as they made love. The ones after his accident filled a need, on both their parts, and he'd never felt a regret of not being able to know what they truly looked like. But Annie - God, Annie insinuated her way into his life and his heart as no one else. Every kiss, every embrace, and every single touch burned into his mind her beauty.

Hearing her shift slightly, he pulled his hand back. The cool autumn morning made him shiver a bit, and he sat up, feeling for the comforter that had slid to the bottom of the bed. Finding the corner, he pulled it over both their bodies.

The movement caused Annie to waken, and she turned her head towards him, "Auggie?"

Laying the comforter against her shoulders, Auggie lay down on his back beside her, trailing his hand down her arm to her fingers. She grasped his hand and pulled it up to her, tucking their clasped hands against her chest.

"Warmer now?" Auggie whispered.

"Mm," Annie answered, sliding on her stomach closer to him, releasing his hand and laying her head on his chest and hooking her leg around his. "Now I am."

Auggie wrapped his arms around her and brushed her hair off her face, allowing the strands to run through his fingers. He repeated the gesture again, allowing the long curls to wrap around his fingers.

Closing her eyes against the caress, Annie sighed. She lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him. His eyes were closed, and his fingers continued to twirl through her hair. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"About how beautiful you are," Auggie whispered. "And how we should have done this a lot sooner."

"Mm, I agree, but you have to admit, it was worth the wait," Annie said, running her hand up his chest to his shoulder.

"It certainly was," Auggie said, capturing her hand with his own. "And if you don't stop touching me like that, we'll never leave this bed."

"Would that be a bad thing?" Annie whispered, pressing a kiss against his chest.

"Not at all, but I did come over for breakfast initially," Auggie said. "And we'd be talking over eggs and toast now if you hadn't assaulted me with your yoga mat."

"I guess yoga isn't your strong suit, but as you said, there are other, more base methods to relax," she said, caressing his leg with hers.

Auggie gasped at the sensation and sat up, pulling Annie along with him. "Come on, even the more base forms of relaxation require sustenance."

Annie moaned and allowed herself to be pulled up. She shivered as the cool air hit her bare skin. She began to look around for her clothes. Auggie had undressed her, and she vaguely remembered seeing the items being flung across the room. "Umm, Auggie?"

"Yeah?" he replied, pulling his shorts over his slim hips and turning towards her.

"You wouldn't happen to remember where my clothes landed, would you?" she asked, chuckling, standing up out of the bed and glancing around.

"No, not at all. You'll probably have to grab something else," he said, finding his shirt on the floor and pulling it over his head.

"So, you make sure your clothes are within reaching distance, but mine are nowhere to be found, huh?" Annie said, opening her dresser and pulling out a t-shirt and shorts. "That wouldn't be any kind of subtle hint, would it?"

"That I want you to stay naked all the time?" Auggie asked. "Not intentional, but it seems my subconscious has a dirty mind."

"It's not alone," Annie said quietly, slipping her clothes on quickly. Turning toward him, she said, "Remember when you were teaching me how to fight all those months ago?"

"Yeah."

Annie walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Leaning in, she pressed her lips against the hollow at the base of his throat. "I've been wanting to do that ever since," she whispered against his skin and smiled as she saw him shiver.

"I wish you would have," he said huskily, placing his hands on her wrists. "But now, you can do it anytime you want."

Placing one more kiss in her now favorite spot, Annie stepped back, turning her wrists to grasp his hands. "Let me fix you breakfast," she said, leading him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

Auggie let her pull him a few steps before he stopped. The sudden loss of momentum caused Annie to stumble a bit, and she found herself in his arms. "Auggie, what -"

Turning her, Auggie placed his hands along her jaw and pressed an insistent kiss against her lips. "Annie, I've been patient in wanting us to be together, but I don't want to wait any longer before telling you that I love you."

Tears came to Annie's eyes at his words, and for a moment, she couldn't speak. Swallowing hard against the welling of emotion, she raised her hands to his face and returned his kiss. "We have wasted a lot of time, haven't we?" she whispered against his lips. "And I agree, I don't want to wait anymore, either."

Looking into his deep brown eyes, she saw the warmth and love that emanated from their unseeing depths. "I love you, too, more than you can ever know."

THE END


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